World War II The
squadron was first activated at
Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah on 1 October 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the
351st Bombardment Group. Its
cadre moved the same day to
Gowen Field, Idaho, where it could begin manning as a
heavy bomber unit. The squadron moved to
Geiger Field, Washington in November and began training for combat with the
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The squadron completed its training in April 1943 and departed for the
European Theater of Operations. The air echelon began ferrying its B-17s about 1 April, while the ground echelon left for the New York Port of Embarkation on 12 April. The squadron was occasionally withdrawn from strategic missions to provide
air support and
interdiction. In the buildup to
Operation Overlord, the invasion at Normandy, the squadron participated in
Operation Crossbow, attacking
V-1 flying bomb and
V-2 rocket launch sites. In June 1944, it provided support for the landings, and the following month supported
Operation Cobra, the breakout at
Saint Lo. In September, it supported
Operation Market Garden, an unsuccessful airborne attack attempting to obtain a bridgehead across the
Rhine at
Arnhem. From December 1944 through January 1945, it attacked front line positions during the
Battle of the Bulge. In March 1945, it flew missions to support
Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in Germany. President
Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, and the 511th was inactivated
Attack training The
311th Attack Squadron was activated in May 1969 at
England Air Force Base, Louisiana and assigned to the
1st Special Operations Wing. Its mission was to train pilots on the
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly. In July, the wing moved to
Hurlburt Field and the squadron was reassigned to the 4410 Special Operations Training Group, which assumed the
special operations training mission at England. In November, the squadron moved to
Bien Hoa Air Base, where it was assigned to the
3d Tactical Fighter Wing. A month later, the squadron transferred its planes to the
Vietnamese Air Force and was inactivated. In September 1985, the 511th and 311th Squadrons were consolidated as the
11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, without being activated. ==Lineage==